Age Is But A Number
by brainandheart
Summary: An Ashley/Walter missing moment from The Bones of Makaidos. When Walter saves Ashley's life, she rethinks her insistence on being just friends.


**I never really thought I'd ever write a Dragons in Our Midst fanfic, but I just finished rereading the series and was inspired. I love Walter & Ashley's dynamic, and wanted to write this "missing moment" that I feel Bryan Davis skipped over. **

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"For most of the four years they had lived in Second Eden, Ashley had said many times that Walter wasn't old enough, that their ages were too far apart, but when he single-handedly mowed down four Vacants who had trapped her in one of the greenhouses, she changed her mind"

-Bryan Davis, _The Bones of Makaidos_

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Ashley Stalworth frowned, fingering the broad, waxy leaf of a plant she couldn't name. It appeared healthy to her, but she was no expert in horticulture. Tomorrow she would bring someone from the village out to inspect the crops.

With a heavy sigh, she leaned back against the thin glass wall behind her. The makeshift greenhouse was boxy and rather ungainly, but it kept their crops from dying in the frigid air outside. Surprisingly, it was not she who had designed the buildings. Walter Foley had figured out a way to dig deep under the surface and harness the geothermal energy that powered the greenhouse's heating coils.

In fact, all of Walter's work lately really impressed her. Not only did he come up with the idea for the greenhouses, he'd also worked tirelessly digging ditches, shaping the coils, and constructing the metal frames to get the three structures built. Several times he'd even worked through mealtime, which had shocked Ashley more than anything. When she first met him years ago, she had thought him nothing more than a typical class clown who never took anything seriously, but he quickly proved her wrong, risking his life time and again to save his friends, including her. After all their adventures together, he knew her better than anyone else did.

A smile touched her lips at the thought. For so long, no one had tried to know her. Freak, they used to call her, alien, mind-reader. But then she met Bonnie and Billy and everyone else. She knew they loved her, all of them. They had made her part of their odd family when she had nowhere else to turn, and Ashley was very grateful for that, but none of them really understood her. Walter might not be as intelligent as she, but somehow when he was around he took part of her burden, that burden to always have the answers. She would never be able to tell him how much that meant to her. How much _he_ meant to her. And that scared her. _He's too young...I'm too young._

Ashley stood, letting out an almost imperceptible groan as her stiffened muscles ached in protest. Wearily she pushed a hand through her hair. What she really needed was a nap, but there was so much left to do. Vacants had attacked a patrol the day before and injured three people, all of whom were still recuperating. Steadfast and his Eve, Pearl, had been watching over them for the last few hours, but Ashley was expected for her shift soon. She also needed to check in on Cliffside's weapons project and spend some time on her own inventions. On top of that, she had promised to meet with Walter for some sparring practice later.

Everything she still had to do pressed on her mind, threatening to pull her into a panic. "Easy," She mumbled to herself, "Focus on one thing at a time. Don't let your brain choke." It was all worth it. Her technology had given the people of Second Eden another chance to fight. She sank back against the wall again.

Her eyes were just drifting shut when the sudden smashing of glass sent a shudder through the greenhouse, jolting her awake. Heart thudding in her chest, Ashley looked up to see four Vacants stumbling over the shattered remains of the door at the other end of the greenhouse.

With shaking fingers she reached towards her hip, only to grasp empty air. She'd left her sword at the village. Desperately she looked around for any weapon, but there was nothing; all of the shovels, rakes, and trowels were shut up in the main greenhouse's huge shed. Fear sent its numbing tendrils down her spine, immobilizing her body. The Vacants seemed to sense her despair. They sped up, loping along the wide center aisle with their spears held high as if in victory.

_Don't just stand there!_ Ashley's logical mind once again gained control over her quivering body. She turned and ran, sprinting between two long rows, praying the tall plants would mask at least some of her movement. She had to get to the door before the Vacants. It was the only way she'd have any chance. The greenhouses were nearly half a mile outside the village, and no one was yet assigned to guard the buildings. Even if she screamed, there would be no one close enough to hear her.

Behind her, the heavy slapping of footsteps told her that at least two of the Vacants had followed, but she didn't dare slow down to look over her shoulder. She just hoped they didn't decide to throw those wicked-looking spears.

Ashley focused on the glass wall at the end of her row, her breath coming in explosive bursts, her feet pounding against the dirt floor. She was almost there, it couldn't have been more than thirty feet, and then the door was right around the corner.

The footsteps behind her stopped abruptly, and for one wild moment Ashley thought she would get away. Her strangled laugh nearly turned to tears of frustration as her way was cut off by the other two Vacants.

She skidded to a stop, her mind racing. Thick, impenetrable walls of plants grew on both sides of her, and the Vacants completely blocked the path in front and behind. She had failed. The Vacants hefted their spears, their guppy mouths leering.

Though a relatively new talent, Ashley had come to depend on her ability to sense the feelings and thoughts of others. The Vacants scared her, because they were just that: blank. As they closed in, she sensed nothing from them, no fear, no anger, no pity...just nothing.

Her throat, already aching from her wild sprint, tightened until each breath was a ragged pant. Fear threatened to overwhelm her again, but she refused to cower. Instead she looked straight into the Vacants' depthless eyes and prayed, _God, if this is the day I die, then give me the strength to face it like one of Your children should._

"Hey Fishbrains!"

Ashley hated being a damsel in distress more than almost anything, but she couldn't deny the wave of relief that flooded her at the sound of Walter's voice. He stood not fifteen feet away with sword raised and eyes narrowed. In seconds strength began to trickle back into her limbs and a wild, triumphant joy seized her.

Without another word Walter charged forward, and in the brief moment that the Vacants braced for his attack, Ashley spun and grabbed hold of the nearest Vacant's spear. Grappling for control, Ashley clung to the wooden shaft. The entire time she fought the Vacant, she was very aware of Walter battling the other three behind her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Walter cut down the first of the Vacants and then, in the next second, dodge a blow that would have sliced him in half. A different type of fear gripped her in that moment, but she shoved it down, knowing Walter's skill. He was quick, but not hurried or impatient, his every stroke economical and steady as he beat back the other two Vacants.

The Vacant whose spear Ashley gripped shook the weapon violently, hoping to dislodge her, but Ashley was strong and she was desperate. All the same, she knew she couldn't hold on too much longer.

One jarring shake and Ashley felt her sweaty palms slip. Another shake and she lost hold of the spear entirely. Before she could jump out of the way, the Vacant brought the weapon around and swung it against her head. Pain exploded in her skull, and she crumpled to the dirt floor.

Frantically, she tried to stand, to move, anything, but her limbs refused to respond. Black spots speckled her vision, and for the second time in as many minutes, she felt like she was going to die.

Dark shapes moved across her field of vision. One of the shadows detached itself and loomed over her. She would have screamed if the fall hadn't slammed the air from her lungs. The shadow reached out, dark tentacles stretching to grab her. She cringed, but the tentacles turned to calloused hands, and she looked up to see Walter with a worried frown on his face. Her instant relief seemed to open her lungs, and she took in a shaky breath. With Walter's help, she slowly managed to pull herself into a seated position.

"Ash, are you okay?"

Without thinking, she nodded, and immediately regretted it as a sharp pain stabbed the side of her head. Grimacing, she gently probed the fist-sized lump. "I'll be fine."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the bodies of all four Vacants sprawled around them, even more awkward in death. She squeezed her eyes shut. They had been so close…"How'd you know?"

For a moment, it looked like he was about to jump into one of his trademark jokes, but then his face changed, and he chuckled softly. "I didn't."

He looked up. "I had no idea…I-I had just decided to take a break, and I was coming to see if you wanted to have lunch with me, but then I saw the broken glass," Shaking his head, he continued, his voice strained, "If I hadn't come—" His blue eyes drilled into hers, and Ashley felt the familiar tug.

Digging her nails into her palms, she turned away, already feeling the sting of his pain as she did so. Why did she keep doing this?

He was young, but so was she, both barely adults by the standards of the world they left behind. He was several years younger than she, but physically he was a man, her eyes and the silly spike in her pulse rate told her that. Yes, he didn't always take things seriously, but didn't she love that part of him too?

He was strong, steady, and determined, passionate about helping his friends. He…he loved her. It was apparent every time he looked at her, every time she opened her thoughts to him. He never tried to hide it.

Not like she did. She ducked behind excuse after excuse, always holding him at arm's length. And it wasn't fair to him. Hadn't he proven that he would always be there for her? He was her best friend. Her fears seemed silly, her excuses feeble when compared to that simple fact.

Feeling a sudden burst of courage, she looked straight into his eyes and smiled. "Thank you."

Off balance by the change in her, his forehead wrinkled. "For what?" –she stared pointedly at him for a second— "Oh right, the life-saving thing."

Ashley chuckled. "Oh yeah, that."

Grinning, Walter reached out a hand and helped Ashley to her feet. To his surprise, she didn't let go, and seemed to ignore the look he gave their clasped hands. "We should probably get someone to help clean this up. But afterward…maybe we could go get that lunch you mentioned?"

She may have been the one who could see others' thoughts, but she really hoped that somehow he noticed the change in her. When he beamed and shifted his hand so that their fingers were intertwined, she was pretty sure he did.

Still smiling as they moved away from the battle scene, he cleared his throat dramatically. "My lady, it would indubitably be my honor to escort you to the lunch-making festivities."

They shared a small chuckle over that, but mostly walked in comfortable silence. It wasn't until they were almost back to the village that Ashley felt the need to speak.

"You know, your British accent is really terrible." She teased.

"What? No way, I have a great accent. I learned it straight from Patrick himself!" Walter replied with mock indignation.

"Mm-hmm, whatever you say." Ashley rolled her eyes.

"Like you can do any better!"

"Is that a challenge, Mr. Foley?"

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**I know it sort of just fades off at the end there, but blame it on my love of T.V. shows. I imagine that last scene like the two characters are walking away, arguing and teasing each other until you can't even hear them anymore...Yeah, I know. Cheesy, right? Oh, well :) Thanks for reading & Please review!**


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